Page 6 of Big Obsession

“What did you eat?”

I pull the phone away and look at it. I’m not sure what to think about Tucker trying to have small talk. “Uh, I had the ravioli.”

When he doesn’t say anything, I keep talking. “Alice had the veal Parmesan, and Teresa had the sampler.”

He lets out a breath. “Good, good. I’m glad you and the girls had a good time. The reason, well, one of the reasons I wanted you to call me is that I wanted to apologize.”

Shock doesn’t even begin to cover it. “Apologize? For what?”

I hear a screen door shut, and I wonder if he’s walked out onto his front porch. His ranch has amazing views, and I’ve spent a lot of time with him and Ace on that front porch. I’ve always dreamed about snuggling next to him on that big porch swing he has.

He clears his throat. “Well, where should I start? I’m sorry for making you feel like you have to watch my kid?—”

“Now you stop right there. You didn’t?—”

He cuts me off. “Let me finish, Dolly. I’m sorry for hitting on you, I’m sorry that I led that woman at the ballfield to believe we were together, I’m sorry that I interrogated you about who you’re dating, and I’m sorry that I was asking you about your dinner tonight just because I wanted to know if you were with a man.” He sucks in a breath and lets it out. “I’m not sure what’s going on with me.”

I stutter out my question because all I can focus on is one thing. “Wait, you were hitting on me?”

He chuckles, and I swear my nipples harden at the rough sound. “Yeah, I was hitting on you, and if you didn’t know that, then obviously I’ve lost my touch.”

I shake my head as if that is going to clear it. “What is happening, Tucker?”

He pauses for a second. “Uh, I was apologizing. I shouldn’t do this to you. You’re Kayla’s best friend and?—”

I cut him off. “I haven’t spoken to Kayla in a year.”

He grunts. “You didn’t tell me.”

I shrug. “We agreed that we wouldn’t discuss her.”

He groans. “What did she do?”

“Nothing,” I tell him, not wanting to get into it.

“Dolly,” he says, his voice low and husky.

I lean my head back and look at my ceiling. I might as well tell him. “I told her I couldn’t be her friend anymore if she was going to keep hurting Ace.”

There’s silence on the other end of the line. “Tuck… you there?”

The squeak of the porch swing fills the air. “Yeah, I’m here. I’m sorry about your friend, but I want you to know that it means a lot to me and to Ace that you care about him and don’t want him hurt.”

I roll my eyes. Is he kidding me right now? “You have to know I love Ace.”

He’s quick to respond. “Yes, I know. Of course I know.”

Silence ensues again, and I can’t just let it go. “You don’t have to apologize for anything, Tuck. I know it has to be tiring that women throw themselves at you everywhere you go, but you have to know that no one is going to believe we’re together.”

He growls. “Why the fuck wouldn’t they?”

I laugh. “Well, let’s see. You’re the number one bull rider in the state. You have been inBig Wood Magazinefor most eligible bachelor and?—”

He interrupts me. “Dolly, the only reason someone wouldn’t believe we were together is because anyone that knows you knows you deserve someone better than me.”

I open my mouth and then snap it closed. This whole conversation is unsettling. All this time, I’ve told myself that Tucker would never be interested in me. Even when I felt like there was some kind of chemistry or something going on between us, I convinced myself it was all in my head. Now he’s telling me that he does want me.

I want to ask him what this all means, but I’m scared to. “So…”

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